Providing Answers, Support and Hope in Georgia
Thirty-One Faces of Hope: Thomas Walters
The lupus community includes people living with lupus, friends, family and supporters across Georgia. For Lupus Awareness Month, we would like to highlight some of our lupus heroes and champions.
Thomas Walters, Support Group Facilitator and Community Ambassador
As a man living with lupus it has been quite a journey for me. I have had challenges physically, mentally and emotionally. But as a man of faith I have been able to work through each of them which has made me stronger physically, mentally and emotionally. Along with the strength God continues to give me each day, I contribute my success to several things.
First of all, I had the courage to face that I was living with the disease and didn’t mind sharing it with family, friends, associates and anyone that may wanted to know about lupus, find answers to questions they face or just be a listening ear to someone newly diagnosed.
Secondly, through my involvement with the support groups (Southside Lupus Support Group & Brotherhood of the Wolf Men’s Lupus Group) both have given me an extended family and community of persons that I can relate to that understands me and I can understand them; we share the challenges we face and we celebrate the victories of life as we experience them together.
Finally, getting involved as a Lupus Advocate has educated me on ways to fight this disease individually and collectively by visiting my local, state and national legislators both senators and representatives. In doing this, I have shared my story and asked that they provide funding for research, new targeted medicines, family leave time, education programs and many other financial needs that are going to help those living with lupus as well as those who are advocates, researchers, scientist, educators, medical workers and just supporters who join us in finding a cure.
The good news is that it works! My involvement with the Lupus Foundation of America, Georgia Chapter has been the blessings and miracle I needed to give me hope. There are so many ways to get involved that extend beyond the lupus Walk and I encourage you to connect with those many resources so that you too can find hope and encouragement to know that you can live with lupus and have a quality and fruitful life as God gives you the strength and direction to join the rest of us to say “Know lupus so that there is No lupus.”
- Thomas Walters